Editorials

January 08, 1999

RIGHT TO DIE

An amendment to kill Del. Marshall's proposed legislation

In times of great sadness, emotional upheaval and sometimes guilt, families must decide whether to withhold life-sustaining treatment to relatives. As they watch a once-vibrant person wither - usually after weeks, months or even years of suffering - relatives should have a choice to end the life of a loved one.

State Del. Robert Marshall, however, thinks he knows what's best for families in Virginia.

Marshall, as did Gov. Jim Gilmore, made a highly publicized attempt to intervene when Michele Finn sought to have the feeding tube removed last year from her husband, Hugh. But in October, Michele Finn was allowed to end her husband's life - 31/2 years after he suffered a severe brain injury in a car crash. Doctors concluded he was in a persistent vegetative state and could not recover.

Should you face such tragedy, will Marshall sit at your relative's bedside? Will the delegate cry with you as you watch the worsening body and mind of someone you hold dear? Will he pay your mounting medical bills?

Marshall, who opposes abortion, euthanasia and most decisions to end human life, will introduce a bill to change the right-to-die law in the legislative session that begins Wednesday.

Here's possible legislative language based on Marshall's plan:

* The state shall establish a clinical designation called a minimally conscious state. Persons who show signs of consciousness, however small, shall not have food and water withheld.

* The state shall establish an expanded guardian system, under which relatives other than a primary guardian shall have veto power over the primary guardian's decisions.

Here's a pair of amendments we'd like to see:

* Del. Robert Marshall shall pay all medical bills that accrue from the point a family member wants to allow a relative to die but is prohibited because of his legislation.

* Del. Robert Marshall shall go to the bedside of such patients, to see the agony and suffering he's prolonging.

A clear living will, prepared today, is the best defense against the government intrusion that Del. Marshall would enable. And, setting the threat of his terrible idea aside, it's the best way to lovingly spare your loved ones the awful decision he would coldly deny them.

PUBLIC INFORMATION

Sex offender site demonstrates public interest in government

The names, addresses and photos of Virginians convicted of violent sex offenses are now posted on the Virginia State Police Internet site. That means everyone who can say "website" has instant access to what was once considered private information under the theory that people who serve their sentences have a right to a fresh start.

The proof that the public disagreed is in the number of people who have visited, virtually speaking, the State Police site. In the first week, 250,000 checked for neighbors and acquaintances - and perhaps their own attackers - to see who was on the list. More tried, but were unable to connect to the busy site.

There's a lesson here that goes far beyond the interest in sex offenders. It can be extended to almost all government - that is, public - information.

In the pre-computer, pre-Internet age, it was easy for government to hoard information and make it so difficult for citizens to obtain information that they simply gave up. Officials then interpreted that to mean people weren't interested.

This single example, the sex offender page, forever disproves that assumption.

In the past a citizen had to go to the courthouse - the specific courthouse where the offender had been tried - with the offender's name to get information about convictions. But if you already knew the name, you probably already knew the facts. It was impossible to get the names of sex offenders living in your neighborhood.

The officials were right that people weren't beating down their doors seeking information. Why would they? They might as well have beaten their heads against the wall. But given reasonably easy access, people are taking advantage of their right to public information, which should extend to all government - every branch and every level. Not everything will generate such interest as the sex offender site, but where information is relevant to people's lives, they will take advantage of easy access to it.

When the General Assembly rewrites the Freedom of Information Act this year, it should take this lesson seriously. The more public information made available online, the better.

NOLAND TRAIL

Initiative by patron adds polish to an emerald in NN

Cities that strive for greatness and livability are measured favorably in the attention paid to recreational space. The 5.2-mile-long Noland Trail immediately became a treasure in Newport News when the path inside Mariners Museum Park opened to the public in 1991.

Each year about 150,000 people run, jog or walk along the narrow path in the forest. All those feet resulted in unavoidable wear to footbridge approaches and exits. Add draining rainwater and the result is erosion.

But that's not bad news. It's welcome evidence that a green section of the city is alive with activity. And the good news runneth over, because the Noland Memorial Foundation has given $500,000 to improve and repair the trail.

Further, inside Mariners Park, more improvements are promised. Old loblolly pine trees weakened by age or disease are to be cut down for lumber. The Mariners Museum will use the proceeds to replace the pines with planted hardwood trees.

Loving care of the Noland Trail and forested areas of Mariners Museum Park reinvigorates Newport News. The green space soothes city residents and makes a great impression on visitors.